GROW Fund Grantees’ WINNER!

We are delighted to announce that out of over one hundred applications, we are one of the eight proud winners of the GROW Fund Grant! This is a very exciting moment for us, and we couldn’t be happier.

The GROW Fund is a flagship new fund from Barking and Dagenham Giving exclusively for businesses and not-for-profits in Barking and Dagenham. The idea for the fund came from a community steering group, mostly local working mums, recruited through an open process by Barking and Dagenham Giving. The charity tasked the group to learn about social investment and steer its investment ambitions for the borough.

They chose to develop the GROW Fund so the many business owners and entrepreneurs who call Barking & Dagenham home can create both a commercial and a social impact in the borough.

Our vision at The Boathouse Studios, is for Barking & Dagenham to be a vibrant, active and inclusive borough that gives opportunities to all its residents to achieve their full potential. Some people will need additional support, based on their specific needs (e.g. language, economic) and this support should be provided in an accessible and non-judgemental way. Others will need encouragement and emotional support to gain the confidence to strive to achieve their potential.

We believe that by working together, communities are much stronger than their individual members. Collectively even the most deprived and marginalised communities possess the skills and knowledge to overcome whatever is thrown at them. Our vision is therefore one of empowerment through community development, building strong and sustainable foundations that will persist and thrive.

Barking & Dagenham is a borough that has grown, developed and changed beyond recognition over the 30 years that we have worked here. The area around the Boathouse has undergone massive redevelopment over the last 10 years, and this is ongoing.

The GROW Fund is an opportunity for us to simultaneously support positive social regeneration and to proactively build strong, cohesive and supportive local communities. We want Barking & Dagenham to be a place where people feel valued and where they feel they belong; where they will "put down roots" and feel able to get involved in making the borough better for everyone.

This is our vision and our commitment and the GROW fund Grant is a great opportunity for us to to bring our vision to life.

We are super thankful to Barking and Dagenham Giving for giving us this opportunity.